The Black Phoenix
by Mauraileen
Summary: A girl abducted out on the streets. And secret gang known as the Underground. A leader who's daggerhappy. Will she survive? Chapter 4 is up! Whoopee!
1. Chapter 1

Ummmmmmm... Yeah... This is my first story on FanFiction... Flames Welcome... Uhhhhhhhhh... I don't own the characters from beyblade... or beyblade for that matter... But I do own the girl, whose true name you will probably never find out. Ha ha. I'm mean like that.

* * *

**The Black Phoenix**

The girl retreated as several black-cloaked figures made their way towards her. "What do you want from me?" she growled, desperately trying to avoid the cans of garbage scattered across the dark alley.

"We want nothing from you…Only _you_..."

She was shoved to the ground from behind. She leapt to her feet in an instant, only to feel her arm pierced by a sharp object. She looked to her shoulders and saw a black feathered arrow; she jerked it out. One of the men lowered a bow.

"Come on," one of them commanded.

She stands her ground.

"I said come on."

She's jabbed in the back by what feels like a pole.

"You're coming with us weather you want to or not."

"So we suggest making it easy on yourself, and surrendering."

"Over my dead body."

One of them, apparently the leader of the group, smirked. "Such a stubborn girl. She'll make an excellent addition to the Underground. Don't you agree Yarzen?"

"Indeed Xiomer. Lord Kai will be pleased. And to think, she'll be the first female to ever see our lair. And very possible the only." She was pinned to the ground from behind as she watched the two men converse.

"Can we just go now?"

"Patience, Yanai. There's no point in doing the job if you don't get the chance to play with your victim. Anyway chances are she'll be killed by Lord Kai."

"Yes, he has that kind of effect on women." At this, the two voices chuckle.

"Very well. Bind her and bring her along." The one called Yanai set to work shackling her wrists. She jerked away and kicked him in the stomach.

"Why you little-" Yanai advanced toward her, soon stopped by his companions.

"Not a drop of blood other than the arrow is to be spilled. Remember what Master said."

Ignoring the others, he continued towards her. She moved into a fighting position.

'How could I be so stupid?!' she thought to herself. 'Taking a walk out on the streets? And at night too! And now look where I am. About to fight for my life against someone whose abilities I don't even know!'

He charged at her. She quickly dodged and kicked the back of his legs. The other men- there were about fifteen – closed into a circle around the two of them.

"Get her, Yanai," one of them shouts.

He smirked and advanced. She retreated, adrenaline rushing through her veins as though she was a trapped animal. He smiled to reveal two sharp fangs. "Whether or not it's during this fight, I will have you blood."

Her eyes widened. He lunged at her coming too close for comfort.

"I don't want hurt you." He directed a punch at her stomach. "But I will if I have to."

She blocked what would have been a blow to the head.

"And if I have to," he tried to sweep her legs out from under her, "I will make sure that you fell as much pain as possible." She jumped into the air, avoiding him.

"Bite me batman." He yelled in Frustration. Then suddenly he disappeared. She whirled around, desperately trying to find him. Out of no where, he appeared in front of her and clutched her throat, lifting her into the air. She tore at his hand, trying to escape the thing that was cutting off her supply of oxygen. Finally, he threw her to the ground. He kicked her in the head.

"Get up."

She rolled over and tried to stand. The moment she was on her feet, he slammed his elbow down between her shoulder blades. She fell to the Earth once again.

"Get up."

The others laughed, their mocking ringing through her ears. Only the one named Xiomar said nothing.

"What's wrong? Afraid to laugh at a pitiful sight?"

"Harm will come if Lord Kai finds her injured."

"There's 99.9 percent chance that she will be killed. We have nothing to worry about."

"But what if this one is different? What if it is as the boy said?"

"He is but a mere child, no older than fifteen."

"And we are not far off. Only five years more. Our judgment is little better than his."

With caution, she stood. Yanai lunged at her. But she was ready. He slammed right into her waiting kick, sending him flying to the ground.

She was immediately tackled by at least three of the men. Yanai stood and brushed his hand along a bleeding cut on his cheek. His eyes widened at the sight of his own blood. The others all gasped.

"Why you little –" He placed his foot on her head.

"You'll never see the light of another day anew…"

"Yanai."

All heads turned to another black cloaked figure. He lifted his hand and pulled down his hood.

He had two-toned gray hair, blue shark-fin tattoos on his checks, and deep piercing crimson eyes.

"Lord Kai," Xiomar said, bowing.

"What are you numbskulls doing?"

"We were just-"

"What is that thing?" He motioned to the girl. She was still pinned to the ground beneath three of the men.

"She is the one Shane spoke of."

"The fighter girl?"

"Yes sir."

He walked over to her and lifted her chin up with his foot. She wriggled away, earning herself a hard kick in the cheek.

"No discipline. And no strength either."

"Sir…She drew blood…"

"Whose?"

Yanai stepped forward. Kai grabbed his chin and examined his cheek before throwing him to the ground. Two words left his lips. Two horrible words.

"Kill her." He began walking away as one of the men drew a knife. One boy ran to his lord, His hood falling down in the process.

"Sir, please don't do this" His voice was calm, yet hurried.

"Give me one good reason why I should not."

It was too dark for her to see the person clearly, but he looked strangely familiar to her.

"Sir, she won many fights in our school, and was peacemaker for more than one. She's incredibly intelligent, and barely speaks."

"This gives me no reason to accept her."

"Sir please." The boy fell to his knees before his master. "I can't stand to see her die."

Kai looked at the girl.

"At least give her a chance." He sighed as though he was a mother denying her son a new pet.

"…One slip and I will personally see to it that my dagger is run through her heart, do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal."

He pulled up his hood and disappeared into the night. The boy walked back over to the girl. She finally realized who it was. "Shane?!"

"I'm…Sorry…" The redhead's eyes fell to the ground.

He was one of the teenagers in her class at school. The three men holding her down pulled her to her feet. Shane stood in front of her. He placed a hand on her shoulders. She lashed out, kicking him where the sun don't shine.

"Don't. Touch. Me."

Some of the men laughed, while others helped up their friend, while still others restrained you. Xiomer walked over to pat Shane on the back.

"Quite a girl you've got there, buddy."

"Yeah, I probably deserved that…"

"…You do know that she'll have to pass…the test…"

"No one has ever passed the test except for Lord Kai him self. He hasn't even made any of us take the test, so he would never make her."

Xiomar led him away from the others.

"Shane why you think Lord Kai left her alive?"

"Because –errrrr…"

"Because he knew he could kill her later with the test. It has happened before with others. You've got to accept the fact that he will not tolerate a female in the Underground."

"But-"

"Give up Shane."

Xiomer walked back over to his companions, soon followed by Shane.Yanai smirked and held out a length of chain. Someone bound the girl's wrists with what seemed to be rope, while Yanai advanced. She backed up, only to be shoved forward and into his chain noose. He jerked back on the metal links, making her fall to the ground. Not a sound had left her lips since she rather rudely spoke to Shane. Not a sound left her lips as Yanai placed a foot on her back, shoving her face into the dirt. He looped the extra bit of chain through her wrists and somehow secured it. He lowered his mouth to her ear.

"Now's your chance to beg for mercy."

She jerked her head up, slamming into his nose. He cried out and fell backward. The girl stood.

"I beg to no one."

He stumbled to his feet, blood pouring from his nose.

"That's it!" He grabbed her arm, and pulled her close to him, throwing back her head. He kept her restrained by a firm grip on her long brown hair.

"Tell me… do you believe in vampires?"

She didn't answer as he lowered his lips to her throat. With one final laugh he bit her. She gasped as his fangs pierced into the tender flesh of her throat. He greedily began licking up her blood. The loss of it was beginning to make her dizzy. She struggled to get away, but failed miserably.

"Get used to it, girl."

She began to lose consciousness.

"Because in the Underground," she could no longer stay awake, "Pain is inevitable."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Black Phoenix 2**

Pain. Pain, and a dull sense of secrecy.

The girl opened her eyes, closing them again immediately due to the light.

"So, you've finally decided to join the living. Well, for now, anyway."

She growled, and once again opened her eyes. Standing there was the one called Yarzen, and four others, whom she did not know. All wore cloaks.

"Now that you're awake, you must take the test."

The girl rolled her eyes, noticing her wrists were still bound. "Care to release me?" she asked with a yawn.

"Untie you, yes. Release you, not a chance." He snapped his fingers, making one of his minions walk towards her. She silently glared at him as he walked behind her and fumbled with her wrists. Finally, he backed away, her restraints in hand.

"Ready for your challenge?"

She glared at the man. "Do your worst."

He smirked. "Famous last words."

Suddenly, the floor fell from beneath her feet. Her breathe came out in a rush of air as she dropped into the hidden pit. At last, her feet touched ground. She barely managed to remain standing.

All was dark. The suddenly, it was light again. Before her was a long corridor. An erie silence was cast over her. She looked around cautiously.

Out of nowhere, something screamed by her head. Instinct took over.

She ran, her body doing anything necessary to escape the danger. Things began slicing through the air all around her. She managed to avoid most of them, though one of the objects cut straight through her arm.

But she didn't pause to care for the wound. Her life depended on it.

As she neared the end of the corridor, a large stone slid down from the ceiling. 'No!' It was going to block the path.

With one final lurch, she dove underneath it.

And barely made it. Looking around, she found herself in another long, narrow corridor. Though this one as wider than the first. She slowly stood, blood dripping from her fingertips. She heard a small crack, and immediately dove out of the way.

She made a good choice.

An enormous stalactite had fallen from the ceiling. A low rumble occurred, the sound making her roll out of the way. A stalagmite rose from te the floor at an alarming speed.

'Perfect.'

She stumbled to her feet, and using the spike, flung herself down the path. As she ran, she saw many red blotches on the ground. They didn't leave much to the imagination. The spears rose and fell all around her at an alarming rate. Some of them were nearly her height.

Just as she encountered the end of the corridor, spikes appeared from the walls, and began closing in. Vaulting over one of the last fallen spikes, she leapt through the small gap between the stone spears, and into the next room.

Something tore through her shirt and the skin on her back just as she made it through the small opening.

Everything was dark.'

The girl immediately stood fearing what had happened the last two times she had been smothered in the black nothingness.

"Relax," a voice soothed. "You have nothing to fear in this chamber."

She looked around, only to see Xiomar standing in the little light of the room.

"You're halfway through. I'm actually surprised you made it this far. Most perish in the spear room."

"What must I do here?"

"Only solve a riddle."

"I'm starting to like you."

"But beware, should you answer wrong, you will undoubtedly die."

"Great pep talk."

He smirked. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Good. Here is your riddle:

Only one in color, but not one in size,

Stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies.

Present in sun, but not in rain,

Doing no harm, and feeling no pain.

What am I?"

"How long do I have?"

"As long as you need."

She sat Indian-style on the stone floor and rested her head in her hands. 'Sun is light...that means rain must not be... So it can only be in light...doing no harm...no pain...It can't be alive...Flies...yet stuck at the bottom...different sizes...one color...I've basically got the shadow of a being—wait...A shadow. It fits... It does nothing that affects any living organism...It's a shadow...I hope..."

She stood. It had been five minutes since Xiomar had given her the riddle.

"You have it?" he questioned.

"Maybe..." She dropped her gaze to the ground. "Is it...a shadow?"

He looked at her with sad eyes. "I'm sorry, but...you're right!"

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go."

A light suddenly illuminated a door at the other end of the room. The girl was just about to walk through it when Xiomar spoke.

"Beware the elements. For they, unlike humans, show no mercy."

The girl nodded, then walked through the door.

She immediately wished she hadn't.

She stood on a single platform surrounded by...lava?!? Well, magma rather. The door slammed closed behind her.

"Stupid freaking groundhog idiots..." she muttered.

Out of nowhere, a series of platforms rose up before her.

And a jet of fire shot out from behind.

Without hesitation, she leapt out onto the stone platform suspended over the lava.

'These people are insane!'

She continued jumping from slab to slab of rock in front of her, desperately trying to avoid both the lava, and the flame.

Just as she was about to jump to the next platform, a spurt of fire shot out in front of her.

She recoiled as she felt it burn the flesh of her arm. All she felt was pain, and the rage that went with it as she leapt to the next stone.

After a few more jumps, she made it to the other side of the room. Only then did she pause to care for her wound. With her good hand, she reached down, and with slight difficulty, tore a strip of cloth off of the leg of her pants. She wrapped, then tied it around her arm, creating a black bandage. Ignoring the searing pain in her back, and now upper arm, she walked through the next door.

As the ever-so-famous slab of rock slid down, sealing the passage, she was smothered in a total darkness.

She crouched down a bit, forcing her body into a defensive position. She listened for anything, but heard nothing.

And then it slammed into her, pinning her to the ground.

The creature was incredibly heavy, and covered in fur. Claws on its front paws dug into her shoulders as she felt its hot breath on her face. She did her best to hold its gnashing jaws away from her throat.

She couldn't see it, but she was sure it could see her.

Using every ounce of strength she could muster, she kicked the creature off of her. On shaky legs, she stood, trying to be as quiet as possible. She heard the creature pad across the room, nearly silent.

Suddenly, the tempo of the beast's steps increased. The girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her switchblade.

According to her ears, the monster leapt at her. She crouched down and held the hand with her knife into the air. It caught something.

She heard the creature roar in pain, then run away. She prepared for another attack, but it never came. The beast had finally decided that she wasn't worth the trouble.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

And then out of nowhere, something pinned her to the ground.

An object stabbed into her shoulder and dragged its way through.

The girl cried out in pain.

The room lit up, due to fire running around the perimeter. She looked into the eyes of her attacker. It was the one who had ordered her to die in the first place.

It was Kai.

He held a dagger into her shoulder, never decreasing the pressure.

The girl did her best to push him off, but failed miserably.

Next, she grabbed at the arm holding the dagger in her body, and tried to pry it loose.

During her futile attempts, Kai had lowered his mouth to her ear.

"I tried to let you go quietly. But no. You had to fight. And now, I will make your death as painful as possible."

He placed his free hand on her throat, nearly cutting off her flow of oxygen.

He jerked the dagger from her shoulder, but in doing so, twisted it, prying open her flesh even more.

She cried out, drawing Kai's attention.

"Scream as much as you want. No one who can hear you cares about your life. The Shane boy was locked in his chamber before you started the test."

He heavily dragged the knife across her stomach.

She winced.

"Does it hurt? You know, all you have to say is 'Kill me now', and I will stab this dagger through your heart."

He placed the tip of the knife on her right eyebrow.

"Or you can refuse my offer, and your torture will continue."

With all the courage she could gather, she looked him right in his crimson eyes.

"...You wish."

He brought the dagger down over her eye, causing her extreme pain.

She couldn't help it.

She screamed.

As she ran out of breath, he placed the dagger over her throat.

Her limp hand slowly dragged across something on the floor.

Her switchblade.

Her fingers curled around it as Kai prepared to slit her throat. With her last bit of energy, she lifted her hand and swiftly drug her knife across his cheek.

He dropped his dagger, surprised.

Slowly, he picked it up and stood. He released a shaky breath, then spoke.

"Be grateful, girl. You are the first one to touch me...and live to tell the tale..."

She couldn't take it anymore.

With a pained sigh, the girl fell unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Black Phoenix 3**

The girl groaned. Only one word passed through her mind.

Pain.

She felt something wet placed on her forehead, but couldn't open her eyes. She struggled to get away as she felt someone's rough hands run over her arms and stomach.

"Relax, Phoenix. You have nothing to worry about anymore."

"...Xiomar?"

"This is he, Phoenix."

"Why do you keep calling me that...?" she asked weakly.

"That is your new name as a member of the Underground. Now don't speak. You mustn't waste your energy."

She decided to follow his advice.

"You put up quite a fight. I've never seen someone wounded this much live."

"I have a feeling I would feel much better if I weren't alive."

He chuckled.

"Why can't I open my eyes...?"

"I bandaged them up because of the wound on your right. It should be about healed enough to see from by now. I'm going to sit you up so I can take them off."

Phoenix nodded weakly. Xiomar gently slid his hands behind her back and lifted her up slightly.

"When I take them off, I want you to keep your eyes closed."

Again, she nodded, then felt him mess with the bandages.

"Xiomar...?"

"Yes?"

"...Why aren't I dead...?"

"Because Lord Kai did not kill you."

"Thank you captain obvious," Phoenix growled. "Why didn't he kill me?"

"Because, my friend, you did something no one else could do. You've seen something no one else has seen..."

"What?"

"...Lord Kai's blood..."

Suddenly, a door slammed.

Phoenix froze. Xiomar had not yet finished taking off her bandages when he moved his hands away from her.

"Lord Kai..."

Phoenix felt someone grab her hands and roughly pull her to her feet. The person began dragging her away, off to some unknown location, while a protesting Xiomar followed closely behind. Finally they reached their destination.

"This is her?" a voice questioned.

"Yes."

With a grunt, one of the being shoved her onto a table.

"This one?" the new voice asks again.

"Yes. Do it."

Someone removed Phoenix's shirt, making her struggle. Another of the men placed their hands on either side of her head and whispered into her ear.

"Be still, Phoenix. Struggling will only make it worse."

It was Xiomar that had said that, she knew.

In moments, a hand moved her bra up, then placed what felt like a wet piece of paper in between her shoulder blades, making her flinch. Xiomar placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

After a few minutes, the sticky wet paper was removed, and a quick, yet steady, buzzing noise started up. Xiomar put his hand on the back of the girl's head, then murmured, "Relax, Phoenix."

And then she felt a pain like a hundred needles dragging heavily across the tender flesh of her back. She tried to jerk away, earning herself a less than tolerating shout.

"Get your girlfriend to stop moving!" someone snapped.

Xiomar caressed her cheek, silently bidding her to still. Reluctantly, she did so.

"The buzzing and pain continued for nearly an hour, then stopped.

'Finally,' Phoenix thought.

Rough hands pulled her into a sitting position, then another moist thing was slapped onto her upper arm.

'Oh no...'

And then it began again.

It didn't take nearly as long the second time, but when it was finished, Phoenix was more than ready to retake "the test" and purposely fail.

"Well?"

"Good job."

Phoenix heard two sets of footsteps walk out of the room, repercussions ringing from what sounded like stone walls.

At last someone continued removing her bandages. When they were off the man held his hand over her eyes.

"Open them slowly. You're not used to the light."

She followed their orders. In a few minutes her sight returned to normal and she was no longer blinded. As she had guessed, Xiomar was the one who had spoken to her.

He helped her stand, then led her to a mirror across the room.

Phoenix quickly became aware that she only wore a bra for a top. Xiomar either didn't notice, or didn't care. He turned her back to the large mirror, then gave her a smaller handheld one. She moved it to a spot where she could see the reflection of the larger mirror and gasped, nearly dropping the glass that now seemed so heavy. Xiomar gently placed a hand on her arm.

"This," he started, pointing to her arm, "is the symbol of the Underground."

Circled around Phoenix's upper arm were small black feathers, seeming to drift to some unknown surface.

"But this," he motioned to her back, "I am clueless about."

"That is the mark of the First."

Both Xiomar and Phoenix looked to the entrance of the chamber.

"The first what, Lord Kai?" Xiomar asked.

Without a word, Kai took off his shirt and turned around, revealing a detailed black, red, and silver phoenix tattoo—the exact same thing that was on her back.

Xiomar fell to the ground in a bow. He chanted a few inaudible words before falling silent.

"Take her to her chamber," Kai commanded.

"But Lord, there are no vacant rooms..."

The leader growled and turned to Phoenix.

She could faintly see a small scratch on his cheek before he looked away.

"Take her to my chambers for now. And get to work on preparing her a room."

"Yes, Master." Xiomar stands. "I suppose you want it pink?"

"You don't know how wrong you are," Phoenix muttered, putting her shirt back on.

"So pink is bad, right...?"

"Yes. Very bad."

He led her out of the room and into a stone corridor.

"...Why did you bow to him like that?"

Xiomar sighed. "Few have seen the great phoenix that started it all. Lord Kai was the one who began the Underground. It was somewhat of a refuge, or a sanctuary for those with no life, with no family...with no hope. Since then it has changed a bit. We look out for one another, but we only accept those whom Lord Kai deems worthy. You just happen to be the first female whom he respects. Well, 'respect' is a strong word, but you get the idea."

As the two walked through the halls, Phoenix saw many men, Undergrounders she supposed, either glaring at her, or checking her out. She glared at all of them in return. She stopped abruptly when she heard one of them whistle.

Xiomar quickly stepped behind her and pushed her forward.

"Not wise, Phoenix. You do not want enemies as early as this."

After a few more minutes of walking, the two came to a deserted hallway with only one door directly at the end. The kind of door that has the three-headed, flesh-eating monster behind it in scary movies. It had to be Kai's.

Xiomar took a black key from a chain around his neck and slid it into a small hole in the sturdy door. He turned it slowly, triggering a loud and menacing 'click'.

He never opened the door.

"Dinner is in two hours, but you are to stay here until then. We must explain to everyone who you are and why you're here. There are few rules, but they must be followed.

"First, you must always address Lord Kai as either Lord or Master. Second, when he commands you to do something, do it. For your life's sake. Lastly, when this," he ran his hand over a strange symbol on the door, "glows red, don't even come down the hallway. It means that Lord Kai is either sleeping or working on something, and is not to be bothered. Should you disturb him, you will wish that you had died during the test."

Xiomar pulled out the key and pushed open the door, before turning around and making his way back down the hall without even glancing into the room.

"Someone will come get you when it's time to eat. I suggest that you use this time to rest. You've been through a lot."

And with that, he disappeared around the corner into another hall.

With an exhausted sigh, Phoenix trudged into Lord Kai's room. She noticed a few things right away. The interior of the room was mostly black with some silver and red objects. Go figure. In the middle was a king-sized, black-sheeted bed. She also noticed that Lord Kai was not a very tidy person. Clothes, paper, books, weapons, and other various items were scattered around the room.

Phoenix waded through the room to the bed and carefully cleared off a corner, before curling up on it and trying to sleep.

But sleep would not come.

Phoenix tossed and turned for about ten minutes, then finally stood up and placed her shoes by the door, fervently cursing her minor case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

With a grunt, she shoved everything off of Lord Kai's bed and onto the floor, then made it, preparing for a long, hard task.

When she had finished that, she walked around the room and tossed all of the lord's clothes onto it. The ones that were out of place, at least.

After that, she picked up all of his books and slid them into place on a shelf. Some of the titles interested even her, and she was a very picky reader.

Kai had a large oak desk in the corner of the room covered in papers. A computer was buried somewhere beneath it all.

Phoenix dropped all of the sheets of paper that had been on the bed and floor near the others, then continued. She didn't want to organize them in fear of messing up whatever wacky way Lord Kai had organized them. She hurriedly cleaned the rest of the things swimming around the room, putting them where she assumed they belonged.

When she had finished with that, she sorted out the clothes. A very nasty job. Especially in a male's room. She put all of the dirty ones in a basket in the corner and folded all of the clean ones, placing them back in their appropriate drawers. Finally, she was finished.

Considerably more tired than she was when she started, she once again laid down on the bed, many thoughts rampant in her mind.

What was the deal with the phoenix?

Why would Kai allow her, of all people, into the Underground?

Why was Xiomar her only friend in that place?

Why did he care?

Why didn't Kai ever clean?

When was dinner?

Why was she forced to stay here so long?

Why hasn't she fallen asleep yet?

Would Kai be angry when he saw that she cleaned his room?

Why did she clean it?

With all of those questions and more floating around in her head, she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"I told you, I'm not fighting, and that's final! Now leave my sight before I slam that staff into your skulls!"

Kai walked away from his followers after threatening them with their lives. He had finished training when they came in, but they had insisted he show off his talent against them.

He ran into Xiomar as he sauntered to his chambers.

"Sir, dinner is in half an hour."

Kai nodded briefly as he came to the corridor he traveled oh-so often. Just as he was about to place his hand on the knob of his door, Xiomar spoke again.

"Lord, the Phoenix is still in there…"

"Go away, Xiomar."

Reluctantly, he left.

Kai opened the door, his eyes growing wide in surprise.

His room was actually…clean…! It didn't take him long to find the cause. The girl was curled up on the corner of his bed sleeping.

He began looking around almost immediately, checking for something—anything—out of place.

He found nothing. Not even his desk papers were disturbed.

With a smirk he grabbed a piece of black silk and carefully wrapped his blood-red dagger within it. When it was secure, he tucked it beneath one of his pillows, then turned to leave. But not before casting a proud glance to the black feathers circling the girl's arm. Then he left, leaving her to the serene bliss of sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Black Phoenix 4**

"Phoenix, you have to get up. Cook doesn't wait for anyone."

She groggily opened her eyes at the sound of Xiomar's voice. "I'm not hungry," she protested, shielding her eyes with her arms.

"Yeah, but you're gonna eat anyway. It's a long time until breakfast."

With a sigh, she stood up and stretched her still-tired limbs. She cracked open an eye, only to see Xiomar still there, looking around the room. "What?"

"I can't believe Lord Kai actually cleaned...!"

Phoenix sighed.

Shrugging his shoulders, Xiomar led her out into the hall.

"Okay, here we go…Do not speak unless spoken to, be polite, don't make eye contact—"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Mind your manners, and blah. I get the point. Anything else?"

Xiomar stopped before a door. He opened it and buried himself in miscellaneous items while rooting around for something in particular. A few minutes later, he pulled out a handful of fabric and handed it to Phoenix.

"And you expect me to do what with these…?"

"Put them on," he ordered, shoving her into a cluttered bedroom.

She sighed and did as she was told, knowing that if she didn't she could very well have an assortment of angry, hormone-rattled boys chasing her throughout the back streets of Indianapolis. Her new attire consisted of a pitch-black tank top and a pair of baggy black cargoes. The shirt fit a little too snuggly for comfort, but the pants were not meant to be worn be a member of the female sex. With a groan, Phoenix trudged back outside.

Xiomar smirked at her appearance. "I like. Lord Kai will too, which is always good. You look like a true Undergrounder—with the exception of the boobs. Oh well. Let's go."

He led her now through what felt like miles of twisting corridors until they finally arrived at a large foreboding set of double doors.

"Beyond here is the banquet hall," he muttered.

"And…?"

With a sigh that hinted she had no idea what she was up against, he pushed them open.

Phoenix walked along side him into the room.

The banquet hall was filled with many long tables, each of them occupied by maybe a hundred men or so. Great.

Xiomar led her to a table with four empty spaces, three on one side and one on the other. Phoenix sat down in the middle of the side with three spaces, putting herself as far away from the other blobs of testosterone as possible.

"Wait here. I'll get us some food. I sit with two other guys, but you shouldn't have a problem with them. They still think girls have cooties."

Phoenix sat in silence as he left, glaring at men who even dared to look at her.

Suddenly, two dark blurs rushed into the seats beside her. Both were breathing hard and held plates stacked high with food.

Moments later, the clang of metal on stone rang out and a gruff voice cursed the ceiling.

"You mangy vultures! Where are ya?!?"

The two beside me ducked their heads low to the table, both of them snickering.

Phoenix looked from one to the other, then double checked. Confusion was rampant. One of them finally noticed her.

"Woah! You gotta be the Phoenix!"

The other's gaze snapped to her. Her suspicions were confirmed. They both looked exactly alike.

"Hi, I'm Sol,"

"and I'm Lunos," the other finishes.

"Two…?" Phoenix muttered.

"Yeah. Otherwise known infamously as The Twins."

Phoenix turned to see none other than Xiomar, carrying two plates of food.

"Have you two been terrorizing Jerry again?"

"Uhhhhhhh…" They both smiled like angels and clasped their hands together. "Our horns are only there to hold up our halos," they recited in unison.

Phoenix groaned before turning to her food.

"Sheesh, what's her problem?"

"She's still tired, I suspect. She's had a hard couple of days, what with passing the test and the binding. It's worse cause she's a girl. I can guarantee you Lord Kai was harder on her in the last room because she's a female."

The twins murmured their understanding before digging into their own plates.

Phoenix was the first to finish. She let her eyes wander as she waited for Xiomar to get done.

Her gaze fell on a table slightly raised above the rest, as if it were on a platform. It was also much smaller than the others. Only four sat at it, not including the empty chair. The table was placed as if its sole purpose was to watch over the others. The most intriguing fact was that Lord Kai sat there, the center of the four chairs.

He was conversing quietly with one of the other men. Suddenly his gaze snapped to Phoenix. She quickly looked away.

At last, her friend had eaten his fill. He and Phoenix, accompanied by the twins, departed from the banquet hall to find the room that had been prepared for the girl. Xiomar sopped at a large wooden door, before pushing it open and stepping inside. Phoenix followed.

The walls were stone. The bed was a small mat in one corner of the room. A wooden dresser supported a small lamp with a moveable head. There was a hole in the wall that Xiomar explained was for laundry. Another door led to a bathroom with a shower.

"That was the only bed we could find on such short notice. It barely qualifies as a bed…" he muttered. "We'll replace it as soon as possible." Phoenix nodded. "I'll also make sure a desk is located and brought here."

He took a step closer to her and whispered in her ear. "This used to be Lord Kai's bedroom. You might find quite a few surprises if you look hard enough. By the way, don't run. It will make Lord Kai very unhappy. Goodnight."

With that, her takes hold of the twins, turns, and walks out the door. When it closes, the only light in the room emits from beneath it.

Phoenix allowed her eyes to adjust, the made her way to the less-than-pitiful mat-bed. She crawled onto it and let herself slip down, soon after closing her eyes and preparing to sleep. But again, it would not come.

Her eyes drifted open. As she absentmindedly studied the wall, she noticed that some of the blocks were a bit darker than the rest. Curious, she crawled over to them. She placed her hand on one of them and pushed experimentally. She let out a surprised gasp as it moved inward. She hesitantly did the same to the other three blocks and watched in wonder as they all slid back to reveal a passage.

"Is this Sci-Fi or what…?" she muttered to herself. She considered her options. Failing to resist the tunnel's strange pull, she wriggled her way into it.

After a few minutes of crawling, it began to incline. She stopped for a moment and debated on whether or not to continue. Curiosity got the better of her. Even though her wounded arm hurt immensely, she carried on.

After another ten minutes, she saw a dim light ahead. Finally, the tunnel came to an end. It led into the mouth of a large cave. Phoenix walked out of the cavern, only to find herself on the grassy drop-off of a cliff.

"Woah…"

The view was amazing.

She sat down on a large rock to admire the sight. You could see for miles. Forest, fields, lakes—beautiful wilderness as far as her eyes could wander.

"Wow…"

It was already night, but the full moon and the stars added a wonderful effect to the already gorgeous scene.

Phoenix closed her eyes and allowed the wind to blow stray strands of her hair into her face. But after a few minutes, she decided it was time to leave. 'Lord Kai' would be angry. With a heartbreaking sigh, the Phoenix turned back to the tunnel, her freedom trapped by an Underground cage.


End file.
